MARTINSBURG — On a verdant plot of land along Lake View Drive in Martinsburg, a tall, wooden fence can be found surrounding a field of grass and shrubbery. But only a few years ago, this same fenced-in space was filled with thriving garden plots, growing everything from corn to tomatoes to cucumbers.
Just a few blocks away, another community garden has flourished. The Garden of Promise, located at the end of Anne Dudley Way, is home to nearly 20 garden plots that are rented and tended by local residents. According to Garden of Promise co-leader Dana DeJarnett, the key to the success of their community garden can be found in its location; grant funding for future growth opportunities, including a high tunnel, well, electricity and irrigation system from the United States Department of Agriculture, and community involvement.
“The Garden of Promise was started about 10 years ago as part of the Promise Neighborhood Initiative, which is part of United Way, and was formed to serve the students and families of Burke Street School,” DeJarnett said. “It was originally on the property of Habitat for Humanity, which is within walking distance of the school. The garden was moved to its current property, owned by Destiny Church, about four years ago. It took about 2-3 years to prepare the area for growing.”
The soil quality at the garden’s previous location was one of the main factors driving the move. Over the two years that have elapsed since then, DeJarnett has noticed a marked increase in involvement from the community — so much so, that every growing bed at the garden was claimed this year.
“Gardeners and volunteers are the key to a successful community garden,” DeJarnett said.
She noted that organizations like the WVU Extension Master Gardeners, Procter & Gamble, Ascend West Virginia and The Blessings Closet have all collaborated with the Garden of Promise in some way in that time. Currently, one growing bed is being used by The Blessings Closet founder Rhonda Gales to grow produce to be used to make baby food, to give to those in need in the community. WVU Extension Master Gardeners has primarily been involved, by hosting gardening workshops at the site.
“We have been successful so far, but have a lot of potential for more programs,” DeJarnett said, mentioning the garden also succeeds due to the hard work of her co-leader, Charlotte Norris, and part-time garden manager Brian Hairston.
Across county lines at 408 S. Mineral St. in Ranson, a community garden continues to flourish, after 12 years in the same location by the Ranson Civic Center.
“We’ve been doing this since 2013,” said Ranson Community Gardens Board President Scott Hutton. “I think the reason we’ve been able to survive as long as we have, is because we have some really good partners — the City of Ranson allows us to lease the property from them. They’ve been very helpful, financially, with finding mini-grants. They have helped us, over the years, re-establish a hookup to the city water. They allow us to catch the rain from the roof of the Civic Center in tanks, to water our gardens. That’s been key to the success — that we’ve had some really good partners.
“Our location has also made a difference,” Hutton said. “We’re kind of in the middle of downtown Ranson. There’s not a lot of foot traffic here, but there’s enough to ensure people are aware of our presence.”
Being well organized, with a dedicated team invested in its success, has allowed the 501©3 nonprofit to possibly become the longest continuously running community garden in the Eastern Panhandle. One other reason for Ranson Community Gardens’ growth, according to Hutton, has been its leadership team’s willingness to learn from mistakes and incorporate novel ideas into its structure.
“We have diversified in what we do over the years. In this area, what we found was that just straight gardening — where you offer gardening plots, like a typical urban garden — isn’t what people need,” Hutton said, noting local residents, if they have time to commit to growing a garden, often already have enough room to grow one in their own backyard.
For the past 10 years, Ranson Community Gardens has featured resident garden plots in its space — all 25 of which have been rented out this growing season. It is only one of many programs going on, with the newest one being the development of a small orchard of native apple varieties at the back of the property.
“We also have a social space, where we’ve got a pollinator garden and a spot where we can hold small events, with picnic tables and umbrellas,” Hutton said, mentioning it has been frequented by community organizations, like the Boys & Girls Club. “And then we have a high tunnel, where we partner together with groups like the Master Gardners — they’re in there growing some crops and doing some experiments, so people can see how gardening works. I think that’s what has allowed us to last as long as we have.”
The newest community garden in the Eastern Panhandle is currently under development behind Siblings Coffee Roasters, at 109 W. Washington St. in Charles Town. Its organizers, Siblings owner Libby Powell and Pour Choices owner Leah Brooks, said they are hoping it will offer those living in nearby apartments the opportunity to grow their own food close to home.
“We’re just at the beginning, but we believe it could make a great difference in people’s lives,” Powell said.
The eight-bed community garden will charge no fee to its gardeners and will include the added perks of provided tools, water collected from nearby rain runoff, free seeds from Sammy the Seed Garden and free fertilizer, in the form of used coffee grounds from Powell’s coffee shop.
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